Career background: Marketing and PR director for the Cliveden Hotel in Berkshire, prior to setting up her own consultancy in 2008.

What is your business about? “Brooker Bird Marketing is a small, friendly and professional independent marketing and PR consultancy, specialising in business development and brand positioning for luxury small businesses.

“We deliver quality marketing campaigns and brand building with particular expertise in the luxury high end hotel, restaurant and hospitality industries.

“But most importantly, we’re easy to work with, get the job done and deliver results.”

What services do you offer? “We can help to establish brand identity, produce full sales and marketing plans, advertising and PR campaigns and identify where your customers are and how you can get to them in the most efficient manner.

And the other 1001 tasks that fall to marketing and PR in general.”

How did you start? “I realised there was a gap in the market for experienced expertise in the fine dining and hotel sector in this area – there are so many excellent small businesses in the Reading and Berkshire area, but very few are maximising their full potential.

“Most businesses can’t and won’t afford a full time marketing person, so a consultant or representative is perfect.

They will get you customers through your door for as little as a few hours per month.”

Was it easy to get started? “It was easy in the beginning, I had a wide range of excellent contacts from working at Cliveden, and most of my clients are acquired by word of mouth.”

Who are your clients? “I look after the marketing & PR for Design Restaurants, the luxury restaurant guide, Design Spas and Blueprint Spas, Taplow House in Buckinghamshire and Engage Productions videographers.

“Until recently I also looked after the marketing and PR for the Forbury Hotel in Reading and Oakley Court Hotel, Windsor.”

Is now a good time for businesses to invest in marketing? “Now is a key time, you can tell the companies that are spending money on sales and marketing as they are the ones with the foresight to get through this soundly.

“Sales and marketing runs in cycles and is always looking to the future, so while your operating profit may be healthy this month, by cutting marketing spend in the near future, with no new business, you are likely to suffer.”

What’s the feedback been like? “It’s been very positive. I’m in a lucky position to have some really exciting brands and companies on my books with great stories to tell and get out there.

“It’s a fun and relatively easy business to take a really great product or story and tell as many people as possible about it.”

What is the secret of success in business? “Being flexible, open and approachable. I think most people like to do business with someone they get on with, it makes it more enjoyable.

“And producing results – there is no point doing any campaigns without a full and measurable effectiveness analysis afterwards.”

Do you like being the boss? “That is possibly the best thing about my job, and the lack of office politics.

"I can simply get on with the job I’m paid to do, with people I want to work with, and not worry about anything else. It’s quite a liberating feeling.”

Are you confident about the future? “Yes, I think the beginning of this year was a huge shock for people, when the first working day of the year came people simply stopped spending money for a while.

“We are coming out of that now, and now is the time to tell people about your business and plans.

“There are also some great deals out there on advertising and editorial, so if you can afford it, now’s the best time to be looking to your business, your ambitions, your brand positioning and how to get more customers to your door.”